Amazon Adds 50,000 Holiday Workers

It’s that time of year again. The time when retailers, both online and bricks-and-mortar, staff up to deal with the extra business brought about by the holiday season.

That’s why Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN[1]) announced today that it’s planning to hire more than 50,000 seasonal workers in the U.S. this year, reports The Wall Street Journal[2]. That’s an increase of more than 70% above the firm’s normal staff of 69,000 worldwide. Normal full-time staffing for Amazon’s U.S. fulfillment centers is 20,000.

A spokesman for Amazon said that the seasonal figure was higher this year than in previous years but did not provide specifics.

In addition to temporary staff increases, Amazon has been adding fulfillment centers this year. With six new centers opened in the first half, the firm plans to open 18 by year-end. This ties in with Amazon’s hopes to improve handling times and get goods to buyers faster.

This is the first year that Amazon has revealed its number of seasonal hires.